Holding element for gratings

ABSTRACT

A holding element for securing gratings ( 50 ) on supports ( 40 ) includes a leg-shaped first engagement part ( 11 ), a second engagement part ( 12 ), screw ( 30 ) for securing the first and second engagement parts ( 11, 12 ) with each other along a clamping axis (A), and an elongate guide element ( 13 ) spaced from the clamping axis (A), securable to one of the first and second parts ( 12 ) and displaceable in an opening ( 20 ) formed in another of the first and second parts ( 11 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a holding element for securing gratings on supports and includes a leg-shaped first engagement part, a second engagement part, and screw means for securing the first and second engagement parts with each other along a clamping axis.

2. Description of the Prior Art

U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,422 discloses a multipart holding element for gratings having a base member for engaging a support, a bracket clamp for engaging a grating, and a screw that connects both parts. At one end of the base member, there is provided a pivotal clamp rotatable about an axis and elastically biased in a rotational direction by a spring element. The pivotal clamp is placed on the bottom of the grating, with the end of the base member remote from the pivotal clamp being placed on a support. The bracket clamp engages the upper surface of the grating and is secured to the base member with a screw.

The drawback of the holding element of U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,422 consists in its small practicability and is the costly assembly work.

The object of the present invention is to provide a holding element in which the foregoing drawbacks are eliminated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a holding element that can be easily mounted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects of the present invention, which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by providing a holding element of the type described above and which includes an elongate guide element spaced from the clamping axis securable to one of the first and second parts and displaceable in an opening formed in another of the first and second parts.

The guide element insures that the two engagement parts would not be lost from each other, that the holding element can be mounted in one operational step, and that the holding element is flexible enough for use for gratings having different heights and/or strength.

Advantageously, the elongate guide element is formed integrally with the one of the engagement parts.

Advantageously, the assembly of the one engagement part and the elongate guide element is formed as a bent stamping from sheet metal, which insures a cost-effective manufacturing of the assembly.

It is further advantageous when the elongate guide element, has at its end remote from the one of the first and second parts at least one projection that forms a stop for a wall section of the opening formed in another of the first and second parts. In this way, the elongate guide member can be arranged, with little expenses, displaceably in the opening of the one of engagement parts, the first part, without a danger of being lost.

Advantageously, the elongate guide element has, at least partially, a U-shaped cross-section. Thereby, the elongate guide element has a high stiffness and can be easily guided in the opening in another of the first and second parts.

Advantageously, at least one guiding element is provided at the opening in another of the first and second parts for the elongate guide element.

The guiding element forms one or several guiding surfaces which improves guidance of the elongate guide element in the opening.

It is advantageous when another of the first and second parts pivots in a plane, which is defined by a longitudinal axis of the elongate guide element and a longitudinal axis of another of the first and second parts, within an angle of −15°-+10° transverse to the longitudinal axis of the elongate guide element. The pivotal movement of the engagement part with the opening for the elongate guide member insures that a grating can be easily mounted on supports or grillages having different thicknesses.

It is also advantageous when the one, second, engagement part has an opening with an abutment for the screw means, and the another, the first, engagement part has a counter-thread for a thread of the screw means and at least one holding element facing in a direction toward the second engagement part for securing the holding element to a support. The foregoing features insures that the holding element is secured with screw means to a grating and a support with a high holding force, so that the grating cannot be removed from a support or grillage from unauthorized side.

The novel features of the present invention, which are considered as characteristic for the invention, are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional advantages and objects thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiment, when read with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings show:

FIG. 1 a side perspective view of a holding element according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 a bottom perspective view of the holding element shown in FIG. 2, and;

FIG. 3 a side cross-sectional view of the holding element in a condition in which it is secured on a grating and on a support.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-3 show a holding element 10 according to the present invention for securing gratings 50 on supports 40, among others, of a grillage. The holding element 10 is formed of several parts and has essentially a U-shaped cross-section. The holding element 10 has a first leg-shaped engagement part 11 for a support 40 and a second engagement part 12 or a holding part for a grating 50, with both parts, extending from an elongate guide element 13 that connects the two engagement parts 11 and 12.

The elongate guide element 13 is fixedly connected with the second engagement part 12, in particular, is formed integrally therewith. The assembly of the second engagement part 12 and the elongate guide element 13 can be formed, e.g., as a bent stamping of sheet metal.

The first engagement part 11 has an opening 20 for the elongate guide element 13 in which it can be displaced in a direction of a longitudinal axis L defined by the guide element 13 (as shown with a double arrow 32 in FIG. 1). The elongate guide element 13 has, in its region displaceable in the opening 20, a U-shaped cross-section which insures a high stiffness of the elongate guide element 13 and its good guidance in the opening 20. At an end of the elongate guide element 13 remote from the second engagement part 12, there is provided at least one projection 29 that forms a stop for a wall section 28 of the opening 20. The projection 29 projects, with respect to the elongate axis L of the guide element 13, sidewise of the guide element 13 and prevents a complete withdrawal of the guide element 13 from the opening 20 or falling of the first engagement part 11 of the elongate guide element 13. At the opening 20, there are provided guiding elements 21, 22 for the guide element 13 which form guiding surfaces of a guide channel that improves guidance of the elongate guide element 13. The opening 20, together with the guiding elements 21, 22, are so adapted to the elongate guide element 13 that the first engagement part 11, together with the opening 20, is pivotable in a plane which is defined by the longitudinal axis L of the guide element 13 and a leg longitudinal axis S of the first engagement part 11. The first engagement part 11 pivots within an angle α of maximum of −15°-+10° transverse to the longitudinal axis L of the guide element 13.

The second engagement part 12 has a recess 14 with an opening 15 and an abutment for screw means 30. The second engagement part 12 further has on three sides, which surround the opening 15 and are arranged transverse to each other, respectively, bracket-shaped first, second and third bearing regions 17, 18, 19 which in a mounted condition of the holding element 10, engage cross-struts 51 and/or longitudinal struts 52 of the grating (see FIG. 3). The bracket shaped bearing 17, 18, 19 have, in the embodiment discussed here, different widths B1, B2, B3, which insures an easy mounting on gratings having different mesh sizes. A relatively large width B1 of the first bearing region 17 allows displacement of the holding element 10 over the grating 50 for a precise positioning.

The first engagement part has a hole 25 located opposite the opening 15 in the second engagement part 12 and at which there is arranged a nut 23 with a counter-thread 24 in which the screw means 30 can engage with its thread 31 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The nut can be secured on the first engagement part 11 with suitable means, formlockingly, forcelockingly, or with a foreign material. The first and second engagement parts 11 and 12 are secured with the screw means 30 along a clamping axis A which is defined by the opposite hole 25 and opening 15 when the screw is screwed into the nut and is tightened. The clamping axis A is spaced from the elongate guide element 13 and the opening 20 of the first engagement part 11.

The first engagement part 11 has likewise a U-shaped cross-section which increases its stiffness and permits it to withstand high tensile forces. At its end region 27 remote from the opening 20, the first engagement part 11 has holding means 26 in form of teeth facing toward the second engagement part 12. The first engagement part 11 projects in the direction of a leg longitudinal axis S beyond the second engagement part 12.

In the region of the opening 20 of the first engagement part 11, there is formed, with respect to the leg longitudinal axis S and the longitudinal axis L, a projection 16 that projects sidewise from the first engagement part 11 and forms, in a mounted condition of the holding element 10, a stop for the lower side of a street of the grating 50.

Upon mounting of the inventive holding element 10, firstly, it is pivoted with its first engagement part 11 and the guide element 13 through an opening between two cross-struts 51 of the grating 50 (not shown in the drawings), so that the first engagement part 11 is positioned, together with its holding means 26, under a support 40. The screw means 30 is inserted through the opening 15 along the clamping axis A and into the hole 25 only after pivoting of the first engagement part 11 and the guide element 13.

After the holding element 10 has been arranged on the grating 50 and support 40, the projection 16, which serves as a stop, lies on a side of a longitudinal strut 52 of the grating 50 remote from the second engagement part 12. The projection 16 lies on a projection of the third bearing region 19. This insures that in each case, the projection 16 lies beneath a strut of the grating 50.

By screwing the screw means 30, which extends through the opening 15, with its thread 31 in the counter-thread 24 of the nut 23, the holding element 10 becomes fixed.

The first engagement part 11 is displaced in the direction of the second engagement part 12 until the holding means 26, which is provided in its end region 27, engages the bottom of the support 40, digging thereinto. Thereby, both engagement parts 11, 12 are secured to each other so that the grating 50 is secured on the support 40 (see FIG. 3). In the mounted condition, the bracket-shaped bearing regions 17, 18, 19 of the second engagement part 12 lie on the cross-struts 51 and longitudinal struts 52 of the grating 50.

Though the present invention was shown and described with references to the preferred embodiment, such is merely illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as a limitation thereof and various modifications of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is therefore not intended that the present invention be limited to the disclosed embodiment or details thereof, and the present invention includes all variations and/or alternative embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. A holding element for securing gratings (50) on supports (40), comprising a leg-shaped first engagement part (11); a second engagement part (12); screw means (30) for securing the first and second engagement parts (11, 12) with each other along a clamping axis (A); and an elongate guide element (13) spaced from the clamping axis (A), securable to one of the first and second parts (12) and displaceable in an opening (20) formed in another of the first and second parts (11).
 2. A holding element according to claim 1, wherein the elongate guide element (13) is formed integrally with the one of the first and second part (12).
 3. A holding element according to claim 2, wherein the elongate guide element (13) and the one of the first and second parts (12) are formed integrally together as a bent stamping from sheet metal.
 4. A holding element according to claim 1, wherein the elongate guide element (13) has, at an end thereof remote from the one of the first and second parts (12), at least one projection (29) that forms a stop for a wall section (28) of the opening (20) formed in the another of the first and second parts (11).
 5. A holding element according to claim 1, wherein the elongate guide element (13) has, at least partially, a U-shaped cross-section.
 6. A holding element according to claim 1, comprising at least one guiding element (21, 22) provided at the opening (20) in another of the first and second parts (11) for the elongate guide element (13).
 7. A holding element according to claim 6, wherein the another of the first and second parts (11) pivots in a plane, which is defined by a longitudinal axis (L) of the elongate guide element (13) and a longitudinal axis (S) of the another of the first and second parts (11), within an angle (α) of −15°-+10° transverse to the longitudinal axis (L) of the elongate guide element (13).
 8. A holding element according to claim 1, wherein the second engagement part (12) has an opening (15) with an abutment for the screw means (30), and the first engagement part (11) has a counter-thread (24) for a thread (31) of the screw means (30) and at least one holding element (26) facing in a direction toward the second engagement part (12) for securing the holding element (10) to a support (40). 